Across the Pond
by Ashynarr
Summary: In a universe where Petunia Evans died in an accident, a young Harry Potter, recently orphaned with no living family to be trusted, is entrusted to Canada by England for the child's protection. Too bad America gets involved... AmeCan aka Slash/Yaoi
1. The Boy Who Got Dumped On Canada

Across The Pond (Hetalia/Harry Potter)

Author: Ashynarr

Summary: In a universe where Petunia Evans died in an accident, a young Harry Potter, recently orphaned with no living family to be trusted, is entrusted to Canada by England for the child's protection. Too bad America gets involved...

Disclaimer: Hetalia's not mine. Harry Potter's not mine.

Warning: AU, Lots of History, AMECAN! (Non-explicit, just fluff)

Note: Read my Author's Page for notes on any differences between Hetalia!canon and my canon. You'll be less confused that way.

Act 1 - Part 1: The Boy Who Got Dumped On Canada (And Subsequently His Brother As Well)

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~

(November 1981)

As his faeries once again had to rouse him from his stupor to deal with intruders, England decided that something had to be done.

Only two nights ago, Harry Potter (or perhaps his mother – the magical traces left weren't clear) had done the impossible and defeated Tom Riddle, known to his magical population as Voldemort. However, the young child had been orphaned in the process, and with no living family that wasn't dark or dead, England had agreed to take the child in.

However, issues started popping up almost immediately. It seemed that the remaining followers who hadn't gone underground were hunting the child down, and had managed to track him to his home. Only his warning system of various magical creatures had allowed him to prevent the boy's death. (The near-scare he had gotten when some idiot wizard almost caused a nuke to go off in Scotland didn't help matters much.) If that wasn't enough, the boy had nightmares and never slept for long, leading to a cranky child and an exhausted Nation.

It seemed whenever he had a moment to himself, it was quickly snatched away. He hadn't slept in almost forty hours at this point, and he was mentally unraveling at the seams.

Something had to be done.

Tea at hand, he sluggishly thought through his options. _I can't just give him away; he'll be tracked down and dead within a day. I need someone I can trust... but who? Certainly not my brothers – heaven knows what they'd do to the boy. Perhaps one of the other Nations? No, that would never work, all of them are either too busy with their own work, have no experience with children, or are unavailable._

As he crossed names off the mental list, his frown grew. There were very few people England trusted, and even fewer he would trust with one of his (arguably) most important citizens. Eventually the list was exhausted with one name remaining.

Canada.

There was no reason he could think of for why the younger Nation couldn't work. He was polite, efficient, and had several kids already. A small voice at the back of his mind tried to warn him about something, but in his exhausted state he payed it no notice. He picked up the phone and dialed. "Hello, Matthew? I have a favor I need to ask..."

~0~0~

Canada blinked, before asking slowly, "So you want me to take care of a human kid – a magical one at that – because he's not safe with you and I'm the only one you trust?"

England nodded, bags under his eyes. "It's only been two days, but I've already had to fend off five assassination attempts from various factions that want him under their control or dead. I can't protect him and do my job as a Nation, and he has no living family that isn't... bad."

Canada sighed. "I have my job to worry about too, Arthur. I can't just drop everything to take care of a child, no matter how important he is to your magical population."

"If he's with you, they won't know where to look for him. Although I'm loathe to say it, many of my magical people are even worse than Alfred's when it comes to a world map... in other words, you would only have to deal with raising him until he's old enough to go to Hogwarts, and I can take over from there."

Taking in his former caretaker's exhausted appearance, Canada sighed again. "Alright, I'll help, even though I probably shouldn't..."

England smiled weakly. "Thank you, Matthew. I know this will be hard, but it's only a few years – he'll be out from underfoot before you know it." Handing over the child that had been asleep in his lap, England stood up and wished Canada luck before leaving for his flight back to his house (and his bed).

Of course, that was about the time Harry decided to wake up.

~0~0~

That Wednesday evening, America burst into the house, cheerful as ever. "The hero has arrived to help in your time of need, Mattie!"

Canada groaned, resisting the urge to fall back asleep where he had fallen on the couch after finally getting the kid to bed. "Could you please be quiet? I just got him to go to sleep..." He glanced at a clock and winced. "...about a half-hour ago. And with the meeting in just an hour, the last thing I need is to do it again."

America blinked. "Who? You didn't mention anyone was over..."

Canada shook his head. "No, it's a favor for Arthur..."

After quickly explaining the situation over a late dinner, America shook his head. "Man, I don't know what he was thinking dumping a kid on you."

Canada's eyes narrowed. "And what is that supposed to mean?"

"Well, neither of us have any real experience with human kids. You know how to take care of Provinces and Territories, and it's easy enough because they're fairly good at taking care of themselves. Humans, on the other hand, are high-maintenance for a while, so..." He shrugged.

"I know Al, but he looked so strained... I had to do something..."

"Nah, bro, it's totally cool. I'll even help you out!" America gave his brother a wide grin and a thumbs up.

"...that's what I was afraid of." Canada said perfectly blank-faced.

America pouted. "C'mon, I'll be a super heroic older brother! And you totally need my help – you're the one who called me in the first place!"

Canada widened his eyes. "Did I? It must've slipped my mind."

"Don't you have a meeting to get to?"

Canada was out the door in a flash, leaving a bemused America with a couple empty pizza boxes and a quiet house. And the bear, who grumbled about the noise before rolling over and going back to sleep.

~0~0~

When Canada returned the following morning, exhausted but proud that his charter was coming along nicely, he was greeted with the smell of bacon, eggs, and burnt toast. America was sitting at the table polishing off his breakfast while Harry quietly sat in another chair nibbling on some cereal. Nanuq was curled up on the couch, having already been fed.

The child stared at the man entering the room, before looking back to the one sitting next to him. This repeated several time, and the adorable look of confusion on his face almost made up for the lack of sleep in almost twenty hours.

"I swear, someday I will hire somebody to point out the fact that we don't look exactly the same. It's at times like this that I really miss Gilbert and Toris..." America grumbled.

"Good luck with that – the only reason England and France tell us apart is because you're too loud, and they raised us."

America grinned. "Remember that one meeting where I was being really quiet because my throat was sore?"

Canada snorted. "Everyone was convinced we switched places for the meeting and kept calling you Canada. You, of course, took that as a challenge and started overusing my country's stereotypes against me."

"Like you didn't start in on me right after that."

"Best meeting that year, hands down. I think something was actually accomplished."

"Yeah, everyone agreed that we had to wear tags so they could tell us apart."

"Worth it."

"Totally."

Harry had finally given up on making sense of the fact that there were two of the same person in the room. Instead he made his way over to where the bear was, finding a strange comfort in the thick warm fur. Nanuq just blinked slowly before allowing the child to curl up next to him.

As Canada slowly finished off breakfast, he blinked, just remembering something. "Al, don't you have work to do?"

America shrugged. "I finished it early this week – the launch for _Colombia_ was supposed to be yesterday morning, and I wanted to see it."

Canada nodded slowly. "That's the one that has the SRMS my people designed, right?"

"Yeah, the Canadarm, but the flight was canceled last-minute because of something wrong with the APUs. The launch is being pushed back to the twelfth."

"Did you really have to name it that?" Canada said, grimacing.

"Of course! It makes it patriotic!"

"It sounds dumb."

"Hey, I spent an hour thinking up that name."

"Well that explains it then."

"Hey!"

After the two finished wrestling (with America graciously letting his brother 'win'), Canada went off to bed while America cleaned up. Harry disappeared into the depths of the house, and the morning was spent in a long game of hide-and-seek.

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~

Timeline of Events:

~Oct 31st – Voldemort Defeated; Harry picked up by England

~Nov 2nd – A Poseidon missile slips from its crane and falls to the ground at a US base located in Scotland – lucky, it did not detonate.

~Nov 3rd – England gives Harry to Canada

~Nov 4th – Second launch of the space shuttle _Columbia_ called off due to technical problems with the shuttle; America goes over to Canada's house; Canada goes to all-night meeting to work on Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (the Canadian equivalent of the Bill of Rights)

**AN:** So... I decided to go through with this. The main difference between this story and others like it is that I will be referencing lots of real-world events and how they affect America, Canada, and Harry. That means this story is educational! YAY! ((shot)) Anyway, the timeline mentions all the events I mention in a chapter and how the 'story-only' events correlate to things. I'll also try to make sure the technology is accurate to the time, along with things like politics and such.

The story will not immediately jump to the Letter, either. There will be several chapters before that, detailing all the important events influencing both the twins and Harry. Also, events in the first book will go relatively the same, but things will quickly diverge from HP canon as the effects of a Canadian-raised Harry resonate.

Although I warned up at the top, I will warn again – THIS IS AMECAN! That means that they will be together in a non-platonic matter! And I'm not just doing it for the heck of it, either – it is actually a relevant plot point that will be brought up later. I won't write anything explicit, however (partially because I can't, but mostly because THAT part of it isn't important).

(For HP fans who don't know, Canada and America are NOT confirmed to be blood-related; they are adopted brothers, much in the same way Harry was 'adopted' by the Weasleys. Some people do consider them blood-brothers, while others don't – the main thing to remember in this case is that they are Nations, so the same rules don't necessarily apply to them anyway.)

Finally, I have decided that I will not pair Harry with anyone; Instead, I will leave it ambiguous so you Harry Potter fans can imagine whoever you want as the person he eventually married. It's a lot easier than having people complaining down the road about "You should've made it HG, not HHr!" or something like that (and ultimately loosing a lot of people because I didn't choose 'their pairing').

Read and Review~!


	2. The Vanishing Chill

Across The Pond (Hetalia/Harry Potter)

Author: Ashynarr

Summary: In a universe where Petunia Evans died in an accident, a young Harry Potter, recently orphaned with no living family to be trusted, is entrusted to Canada by England for the child's protection. Too bad America gets involved...

Disclaimer: Hetalia's not mine. Harry Potter's not mine.

Warning: AU, Lots of History, AMECAN! (Non-explicit, just fluff)

Note: Read my Author's Page for notes on any differences between Hetalia!canon and my canon. You'll be less confused that way.

Act 1 - Part 2: The Vanishing Chill (Wherein America Finally Gets Around To Asking Canada Out)

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~

(January 1982)

Canada shivered in his jacket as he approached the door to his brother's house. He knew America had been having a bad cold snap for the past week, but he never expected this. If he had known that the cold snap was generating record lows across the United States, he would have let someone else deal with Quebec and come down sooner. (Harry had been left in the care of Ontario while he was away; he had offered to deal with Quebec instead, but Canada knew that wouldn't have ended well.)

As he was about to knock, Nanuq started growling. "Gola..."

Canada paled. General Winter was, well, not a friend, but a fact of life for him. However, the General rarely came this far south without reason, and it explained quite a bit about the recent freak weather. Now all he needed to figure out was why this was happening. He forced the door open and ran upstairs to the bedroom, stopping in the doorway at the sight before him.

America was curled up in his bed, shivering and tinged blue around his lips and ears. His eyes were glazed over, not registering the intruder at the door. The General stood over him, a slight frown on his face as he stared impassively at the prone form, before he turned to Canada.

"**Do not interfere with the trial.**" He said in his chill inhuman voice.

Nanuq growled again, but Canada knew the Bear Spirit would not attack the much older and more powerful Spirit before him. "Why are you doing this?" The Nation asked, confused. "What has Alfred done to deserve this?"

"Mattie?" The form on the bed moved a bit at the sound of his voice, blue eyes trying to focus on him. "'s 'at you? 's cold..."

The Spirit frowned again. "**Still conscious? He is hardier than I expected... no matter.**" His hand reached toward the southern Nation, who started violently shivering at the proximity.

Without thinking Canada rushed forward, shoving the arm away and standing between the General and his victim. "Stop it! I won't just stand by and let you do this to my brother!"

"**...You would defy me? Even knowing I could bring my full wrath down on you at any time?**"

"Yes." The reply came without hesitation. The two stared off, Nation against Spirit, and inwardly Canada was surprised at his resolve against the General.

After what seems like ages, the Spirit simply nodded his head in acquiescence before disappearing in a burst of cold air. After blinking in surprise, Canada quickly turned his attention to his brother, who had stopped shaking but still looked to be in poor shape. His hands quickly moved over the body, checking temperatures and blood flow.

He frowned, inwardly cursing. _Damnit, he has a severe case of hypothermia. He needs a hospital now! _He fumbled for his cellphone (a birthday gift from America; never was he more thankful for his brother's pushiness than he was right now) and called emergency services. They told him to keep the other as warm as possible in the meantime. He thanked them, not mentioning that he already knew that, before hanging up with a sigh.

"C'mon, Nanuq, we need to warm him up." He pulled off his coat, wrapping it around his brother before crawling into bed with him, pulling America close to share some of his body heat. The bear crawled up on the other side, pressing himself against the chilled form. That was how they were found a half-hour later when the paramedics rushed into the room.

~0~0~

(April 1982)

Three months after his confrontation with the General, Canada found himself on ceremony next to England as the Queen proclaimed his complete independence from the United Kingdom. America had recovered from the incident and was now cheerfully sitting in the back as the Constitution Act was signed into law.

He had been surprised when he was told that the Queen herself would still have influence on the government, but a careful explanation from Canada (and some pancakes) had calmed the superpower down.

" _'s just weird." He muttered around a mouthful of pancakes. "I mean, dude, you still have a queen. I thought getting your independence meant you'd be, well..."_

"_Like you?" At the light nod, Canada sighed. "She doesn't have as much influence as you think – her job is just to make sure my government stays stable. She's more like another branch of the government; what I've gotten independence from is the United Kingdom's parliament – Arthur can't influence me anymore."_

"_I can still offer advice, however." Both jumped, before glancing behind them to see an amused England watching them. "Don't mind me, I was just hoping for a chance to speak with Matthew for a few moments." When America didn't move to leave, he sighed. "Alone. You can go back to talking about me afterwords."_

_Casting a mournful glance at the remaining pancakes, America made his way out of the room. England turned to Canada, all business. "I apologize for that; I just don't want him overhearing us discuss the child."_

_Canada chose not to mention the fact that America already knew, knowing that would not end well with his former caretaker. "He's doing well, if that's what you were worried about. He's stopped having nightmares, and he sleeps through the night now."_

_England sighed, this time in relief. "That's... that's good. It seems like I made the correct decision by leaving him with you, then. If you'll excuse me, I have some last moment preparations to make before the Queen arrives."_

Before too long, the ceremony was over, and America and Canada were driving back to the latter's house. America was gazing out the window, the nervous tapping of his finger the only thing betraying what he was thinking. Feeling a bit uncomfortable in the silence, Canada decided to bring up something that had been bothering him for a while.

"Hey, Alfred..." Blue eyes focused on him. "...what did you do to anger the General?"

That question caught the other by surprise. "Wha-"

"I know the General, Al. He's not the type to try to kill others just on a whim; the fact that he personally tried to freeze you over is not normal. Not to mention that visit you got from him the other day – oh come on, do you really think I'd buy that 'freak weather' excuse when you got almost two feet of snow overnight? In April?" America was silent for a long time, before he quietly mumbled something. "Alfred, speak up."

"I said that I might've gotten into a fight with Russia over Poland, and I might've punched him when he called me an 'interfering busybody'... and then I might've dared him to do his worst when he said he'd get me back for it, before deciding to cut trade with him."

Canada sighed. "Do you two have to fight over everything? I thought you two were starting to get along again..."

"Hey, he's the one who decided to put Poland under martial law and never remove it!"

"...well, at least that explains the January visit... but why did he visit you the other day?"

"...just to talk." At the skeptical look, he held his hand up. "Really! We just talked for a bit, then he left. No biggie."

"Well, if it's 'no biggie', then you won't mind telling me about it."

There was a long stretch of silence, before he finally responded in a surprisingly quiet voice. "We... talked about you."

If it wasn't for the fact that they had just arrived at the house, Canada probably would've caused an accident with how quickly he hit the breaks. He stared at his brother, not trusting himself to speak. America looked extremely uncomfortable until the intense gaze of the northern Nation. "Me?"

A small nod, before the superpower finally met the gaze of his brother. "...did you really stand up to him? For me?"

Now it was Canada's turn to be thrown for a loop by the question. "I- you-"

"I don't remember anything after General Winter showed up besides being cold. Just when I thought I couldn't take it anymore, the cold left. When I woke up in the hospital, the nurse told me you'd checked me in and hadn't left until I'd started to recover. For a while I thought he'd just decided I'd had enough, and you found me sometime after he'd left." He grinned wryly. "Imagine my surprise when, a few months later, he decides to visit and tell me what really happened. I almost didn't believe him, but I know he doesn't lie."

Canada was staring at his hands, twisting them together in embarrassment. "I- I didn't stop to think- I mean, I couldn't just let him hurt you and-"

America cut him off by carefully tilting Canada's face up so they were looking eye-to-eye. "...thank you, Mattie."

Then he pulled the other into a kiss.

After a long moment, they broke apart. Canada was completely flushed, and America grinned. "Y'know, I've wanted to do that for a long time."

"How- How long-"

America hummed thoughtfully. "Since before I left Arthur. About two hundred fifty years? Somewhere around there..."

That... was a long time to like somebody. "Why didn't you say anything before now?"

"I did; why'd you think I asked you to come with me when I rebelled?"

"I thought you were going to make me another state."

A weak chuckle. "Yeah, I guess I was a bit land-crazy back then... but really, I just knew he wouldn't let us be together as long as we were under his control."

"...so you waited until I got my independence to make a move on me?" The tone was disbelieving, but a light smile was on Canada's face. "I don't know if I should be flattered or amused. You are a complete sap, you know that?"

America grinned brightly. "But I'm your sap, right?"

Canada's only reply was to pull his bro – no, boyfriend – into another kiss.

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~

Timeline of Events:

~Dec 23rd – US President Reagan urges USSR to end martial law in Poland

~Dec 25th – A response from Soviet President Brezhnev saying that the US was interfering with internal affairs arrives Christmas day.

~Dec 29th – The US embargoes trade with the USSR.

~Jan 11-17th – A brutal cold snap sets record lows across the US, culminating in Cold Sunday. Many of these records have yet to be broken.

~Jan 15th – Striking Quebec transit workers are forced back to work.

~Jan 17th – Canada visits America and 'makes' General Winter back down from further harming his brother.

~Apr 6th – A large blizzard hits the northeastern US, dumping one to two feet of snow and closing roads, school, and businesses throughout.

~Apr 17th – The Queen grants Canada its complete independence from the United Kingdom's parliament; America and Canada start dating.

**AN:** 'Gola' is one of the Native American words for 'winter'. Also, yes, for people confused by the fact that I'm calling Kumajirou 'Nanuq'... I honestly think is makes more sense for the bear to have, y'know, a Native name instead of a Japanese name. Just FYI. (Also, he's a Spirit. So yeah.) Since I love old lore and mythology, I think I'll be mentioning quite a few Native spirits and others throughout the story.

The research for this part of the story is what convinced me that the fanfiction gods were shining down on my story idea. After all, standing up to the personification of winter is a pretty gutsy thing to do, and Canada pulls it off wonderfully. Plus the independence thing shortly after... (I didn't know Canada had a queen until I started working on this story. Poor America; he didn't know either.)

So... since this is pretty much the first fluff I've ever written, did I do okay? Also, I know Harry hasn't really had any screen-time yet, but he's not even two; he'll start playing a more prominent role as he gets older, which should start in the next chapter or two.

Also, America's a sap. Just FYI. ;D

Read and Review~!


	3. Curiosity and Magic

Across The Pond (Hetalia/Harry Potter)

Author: Ashynarr

Summary: In a universe where Petunia Evans died in an accident, a young Harry Potter, recently orphaned with no living family to be trusted, is entrusted to Canada by England for the child's protection. Too bad America gets involved...

Disclaimer: Hetalia's not mine. Harry Potter's not mine.

Warning: AU, Lots of History, AMECAN! (Non-explicit, just fluff)

Note: Read my Author's Page for notes on any differences between Hetalia!canon and my canon. You'll be less confused that way.

Act 1 - Part 3: Curiosity and Magic (Or Harry and Russia's First Appearances in This Story)

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~

Harry was a very curious child. For as long as he could remember, he'd lived with his big brother Matthew and his bear Nanuq, with his other big brother Alfred visiting when he could (which was at least twice a month). This was very different from the other families he saw when he was out and about, which often had a mother and father and possibly siblings.

When he asked about his parents, Matthew apologized and said he didn't know much about them, only that they were good people and 'in a better place now'. He learned from school that that meant they were dead, and for a while he was upset. But Matthew took good care of him, and he didn't really remember his parents anyway, so the sense of loss wasn't as large as it could have been.

However, that didn't stop him from wondering about his makeshift family. Both of his big brothers worked for the government, but while Matthew worked for the Canadian government, Alfred worked for the Americans instead. Nanuq was also strange, seeing as normal polar bears couldn't talk or open doors. He even swore he saw the bear turn into a person once, but it was only a glimpse, so he couldn't be sure.

The first time he'd really questioned his family, however, was when he was four.

_They had just gotten back to Alfred's house, Harry half-asleep in his arms. They had been talking about the events of the past few weeks (what he would later learn were called the Olympics) before both stopped fast. Confused, Harry had turned his head just the slightest amount so he could see what had stopped them._

_A man stood on the porch, idly smoking a cigarette. His coat and scarf seemed out of place in the warm summer evening, and he stood taller than either of his brothers. When he spied them, he smiled in a way that made Harry want to crawl under his bed and hide, before crushing the cigarette under his boot and moving over to join them._

"_Privet, Amerika, Kanada." He said, his smile innocent on the surface but sending chills down the child's spine. "You had a good time at the Olympics, da?"_

_He could feel Alfred tense and shift before responding, "You would know if you hadn't decided to boycott it, commie."_

_A low chuckle. "Come now, can friends not make jokes with each other?"_

"_You haven't been my friend for quite a while, Russia." Alfred snapped back. "Why are you here, anyway? I thought the reason you didn't come was because you didn't want to be stuck with my 'fat capitalist ass' for two weeks."_

"_I do not wish to be here,comrade, but you and I have some things to discuss. You see, today I learn something very intriguing; your boss thought it would be amusing to say he signed papers, ah, outlawing Russia forever." His smile fell. "But you see, we – my boss and I – are not finding this funny."_

"_Dude, that was a joke. He makes those all the time. It's not like he would ever do anything like that."_

"_It was foolish and irresponsible. He is leader of world superpower – he should not joke so freely about such serious matters."_

_Another shift in position. "Yeah, well considering you don't like freedom in any form, I don't see why I should care one way or the other."_

_Matthew put a hand on Alfred's arm. "Al, don't provoke him. You don't need another fight right now, especially since you're carrying Harry."_

_Russia seemed to finally notice him, and Harry completely shut his eyes, pretending to be asleep. "And who is this? I did not take you as one to steal children."_

"_I didn't steal him; Matthew's taking care of him for A- a friend."_

_A light hum, before a hand brushed across his forehead, likely revealing the scar on his forehead. It quickly disappeared, letting the hair fall back into place. "What the hell, Russia?"_

"_I am hardly the type to harm children. I am merely confirming my suspicions. How long have you been looking after Harry Potter?" The arms around him stiffened. "Oh, do not look so surprised! England is not the only one with a school for magic in his land. My people know of the only child to survive death curse."_

"_I think you've overstayed your welcome, commie." Alfred moved, but only took several steps before stopping at the other man's next words._

"_Then you do not wish to speak of your relationship with Kanada either?"_

_Dead silence._

"_I don't know wh-"_

"_Do not take me for a fool. I have eyes everywhere, and they share with me very interesting things. Tell me, how long have you been together, a year now? Perhaps longer?"_

"_I swear to God, Russia, if you tell-"_

"_But such information would be of great interest to them, da? Perhaps you have realized that your secret might not be such for much longer now?"_

"_They won't believe you!"_

"_They do not need to, but doubt will be planted in their minds. They will watch you closely, and when you slip, the chaos will be all the sweeter."_

_Another long stretch of silence. "...what do you want?"_

"_For now? Nothing. I have little to gain from sharing this right away. Instead I wait for the right moment. Rest well, comrade. You will not have the chance in the future." Harry cautiously opened one eye just a fraction to see the man walk away into the night._

Neither of his older brothers seemed to realize he was awake for the conversation, nor did they ever bring it up again. Harry was half-convinced he had dreamed up the whole thing, to be honest. Considering his age and the fact that he'd had his first case of accidental magic less than a week later, it was no small surprise that the incident slipped from his mind.

_Harry had almost fallen from the big tree behind Alfred's house. To be accurate, he HAD fallen, but instead of crashing to the ground, he had floated like a feather until he landed with a soft bump into the formerly frantic American's arms._

_There was a moment of silence. The back door opened. "What happened? I heard you yelling from the other side of the house..." Matthew looked between the two._

_The look of surprise on Alfred's face morphed into a wide grin. "Oh man Matt, you should've seen it! Harry just fell outta the tree and I ran over to catch him but then he just started floating like a leaf and dang that was cool-"_

"_He was climbing the tree?" Harry pouted. Why did Matthew focus on that instead of the floating?_

"_It's cool bro, I was watching him. The hero has to be ready at all times, you know!" He gave a thumbs up to the Canadian, who huffed in annoyance._

The two had then gone on to explain what they knew about magic, leaving Harry amazed. After all, it wasn't every day you learned you had magic powers like the heroes in the comic books that Alfred would read with him when Matthew wasn't paying attention.

Once they had finished, Harry immediately started chattering about all the 'cool and super' things he would do with his magic, with Alfred grinning and Matthew amused... until the words "-and I'll be a hero just like Al!" were spoken. Alfred started laughing while Matthew just groaned and hid his face in his hands.

"Oh dear god, what have I done to deserve this?" The Canadian groaned, face still covered.

"Aww, c'mon Matt, it's cute!" The other said, still grinning. "He just wants to be like his awesome big brother, right?" The last was directed to Harry, who nodded eagerly.

"I don't know what you've been telling him, but I refuse to deal with two of you blockheads running around playing hero and creating more issues than you solve." His head lifted far enough for Matthew to send a half-hearted glare at the American, who pouted.

"I don't make that many problems..."

Matthew sighed, before placing a chaste kiss on the other's lips. "Of course not, Al."

Harry's face screwed up in childish disgust. "Eww, gross!" He didn't get why both of them burst into laughter.

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~

Timeline of Events:

~May 8th – USSR announces it will boycott '84 Summer Olympics.

~July 28th–Aug 12th – '84 Summer Olympics held in Los Angeles, CA.

~Aug 11th – US President Reagan's infamous "We begin bombing in five minutes" joke. When it was leaked to the general public, the USSR went onto high alert for more than half an hour. Afterwords, they criticized the US for not being serious enough as a superpower.

AN: So yeah, sorry about the hiatus. I had finals and all that, and I really had to focus on those. But now that those are done... I can get back to writing!

Also, I am still working on the timeline for this story... don't worry, I've got up through first year and partway through second already done, so I can still write those, but this story is going to be LONG. And, from last count, it's going to be in twelve alternating POVs. That's right. Twelve. (At least I get lots of characterization practice!)

Yes, I will be messing with 'official HP history' a bit. It's nothing major, just a detail or two that will allow the story to flow a lot more smoothly, and the changes really don't kick in for a while anyway. And yes, I have decided to not have Harry know. (At least for now...)

Finally... is my Russia okay? And is my kid!Harry alright? This is my first time writing both... (Also, yes, Alfred isn't going 'OMG magic doesn't exist!' because in my little Hetalia 'verses he does believe in magic (because Nanuq and the other Native Spirits, I mean c'mon), but he likes to mess with England for the laughs.)

Also: I've started a forum, so come check it out!


	4. In Memoriam

Across The Pond (Hetalia/Harry Potter)

Author: Ashynarr

Summary: In a universe where Petunia Evans died in an accident, a young Harry Potter, recently orphaned with no living family to be trusted, is entrusted to Canada by England for the child's protection. Too bad America gets involved...

Disclaimer: Hetalia's not mine. Harry Potter's not mine.

Warning: AU, Lots of History, AMECAN! (Non-explicit, just fluff)

Note: Read my Author's Page for notes on any differences between Hetalia!canon and my canon. You'll be less confused that way.

Act 1 - Part 4: In Memoriam (A Child's Wish For Peace)

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~

((Nov. 19th, 1985))

_Switzerland is really cold this time of year!_ America mused to himself as he and his boss waited for the Russian Nation and President for the first of hopefully many peaceful talks on the matter of the bombs stockpiles both sides had. _Maybe I can go skiing later if the talks go well..._

Only five people were going to be in the meeting room – America, Russia, President Reagan, President Gorbachev, and the hosting country Switzerland. The last was only there in case a fight started, as this was his territory and he had told both parties point-blank that he would kick them out if anything happened.

The door behind him opened, and he turned to see said host country arrive, the other two behind him. Reagan stood and extended his hand, which Gorbachev took in hand. The two shook, and both sat down. On the other side of the room, Russia and America had a similar meeting, while Switzerland stood by the door, casually inspecting the shotgun he had brought with him.

"_Privet_, Amerika. I trust things are going well for you?" The Slavic superpower said, joining his counterpart at the window, both admiring the scenery before them.

"_I suppose. What about you?"_ America returned in Russian, earning a light chuckle from the other Nation.

"I see you have not completely forgotten lessons I gave long ago."

A Hollywood grin. "Of course not! I try to know all my people's languages, even if I don't always get it right. As a hero, it really wouldn't be fair if I couldn't speak to them."

A rumbling chuckle. "Still you speak of being a hero? You are very, ah, what is word? _Optimistic_. Too much sun gets to your head, da?"

"Optimistic. And maybe you're just too pessimistic surrounded by all that snow all the time."

"Perhaps." Neither spoke for a moment. "She was very sweet girl. I will miss her very much."

"Yeah, she was great. Did more for our relations in three years than all our highly-trained politicians did over three decades." America sighed. "I looked over all the evidence, and there was no foul play at all – well, unless you count the pilot being too tired to fly."

Russia frowned. "I do not like. I suppose you have documents with you?"

"Yeah, in my suitcase. Here," the younger superpower said, handing over a set of folders labeled with a handwritten _Samantha Smith_ across the front. "Everything we were able to get from the wreckage and recorders, along with the official and unofficial reports."

"_Spazibo."_ The documents were flipped through, before it disappeared into his own suitcase.

America hummed thoughtfully after another few minutes of silence. Behind them, their bosses had made some progress on the outline for the future de-nuclearization treaty. Both knew it would be a long time before the huge stockpiles were diminished to 'safe' levels, but until then they would trust in their people continuing to not want war.

"Anything new on your side of the Wall?" The younger Nation asked, startling the older out of his thoughts.

"Ah..." He wasn't sure what to say, considering they had only recently gotten back on friendlier terms. "Last year, one of my people made new game, Tetris. It is very popular in my country and in many other Soviet countries."

"How do you play it?" America was lightly bouncing on his feet, an unconscious tell of how eager he was. Russia smiled.

"Ah, it is computer game, and one had shaped tiles falling from ceiling. When you fill in row, it disappears and rows above fall down to fill in empty space. Goal is to get as high score as possible without letting tiles reach top of screen."

"Sounds cool! Can I give it a try sometime?"

"Maybe later."

America shrugged. "Whatever you say, dude."

Russia frowned. "Do not call me 'dude'." After a moment he asked, "Has anything interesting happened on your side of wall?"

The young Nation seemed to be waiting for that question, because the words started streaming out almost before Russia had finished.

"Oh man, where do I start? Well, Coca-Cola – y'know, that drink that I tried getting you to drink but you wouldn't because it was too 'capitalist'? Anyway, the company decided to try a new recipe, but wow did it suck! They had to pull all the New Coke bottles off the shelves after a few months because no one wanted to drink them!"

The Slavic Nation frowned at such obvious waste, but the other Nation continued on, unconcerned with Russia's thoughts.

"Oh, and this awesome new movie came out a while ago; it's called Back to the Future and it has a Delorian that lets you travel through time! I've seen it like eight times so far and it's just as awesome each time around! Man, Tony and I were gonna build a car just like it but Mattie kinda vetoed that." America blushed at the admission, but Russia only found it amusing how such a strong country could be so easily swayed by his relatively weaker twin.

"Yes, I am well aware that you are, as they say in you country, whipped. Continue." America glared at him, but didn't deny it, instead choosing to continue where he'd left off.

"Anyway, my boss had to go through surgery, but he came out okay and we went to see the movie to celebrate. He didn't say anything, but I'm pretty sure he liked it too, even if he won't admit it 'cause he's too professional. Georgie – ah, that is, George Bush, my VP? - didn't have any trouble taking care of things while the boss man was out for the count. I bet he – George – is gonna run for president, and I think he'll be awesome at it."

If America was so confident of such, perhaps he should keep an eye on the man, just in case. He nodded to show he was still listening, inwardly a bit jealous that the younger Nation's life seemed so much more... exciting than his own.

"Oh! Some people of mine and France's found the Titanic!"

Russia leaned forward, interested despite himself. He had heard about such, but didn't know much about it besides that it was indeed the wreckage of the infamous ship. He wouldn't be surprised if all the Nations were eager to get in on the important discovery – all of them had lost people to the loss of the 'unsinkable' cruise ship.

"Yeah, we used this new deep-sea military sonar probe around the area where the ship supposedly sank, and eventually started spreading out from there. Did you know the wreck was more than thirteen miles from where they thought it went down? It was crazy! But man you should have heard the others when the news got out – it's gonna be the main topic for the next World Meeting for sure!"

It would certainly make for interesting conversation, and it would be a nice difference from the usual complaining about his treatment of the Soviet states. He wasn't sure whether to be amused or concerned about what the others thought he was doing to them – daily beatings and regular starvation were not things he did, no matter how insane they thought he was.

Their bosses' voices raised, and the two Nations exchanged exasperated, knowing glances. "I look forward to the next World Meeting. Perhaps we will talk more then?"

America grinned. "Of course, dude! And be sure to bring that game of yours so I can play it, 'kay?"

Russia grumbled. "Do not call me 'dude'." Despite himself, he left in a better mood than he had been in for the past several weeks, even though he was escorting his infuriated boss out from under the annoyed gaze of their host.

Perhaps America put something on the folders. He would have them tested when he got back home.

You know, just in case.

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~

Timeline of Events:

~Nov '82: Samantha Smith writes to then-Soviet President Yuri Andropov, starting her life as a celebrity and as the world's first child ambassador.

~Apr 23rd '85: Coca-Cola releases new recipe 'New Coke'. It is pulled after three months of overwhelmingly negative feedback.

~July 3rd: _Back to the Future_ opens in American theaters, going on to become the highest grossing film of the year in the US.

~July 13th: President Reagan undergoes colon cancer surgery; George H.W. Bush serves as acting President.

~Aug 25th: Samantha Smith and her father die along with several others when the plane they're in crashes. Her death is mourned across the US and the USSR.

~Sept 1st: Wreck of Titanic found by a joint French-American venture with the help of deep-sea sonar.

~Nov 19th: US President Ronald Reagan and Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev meet in Geneva.

AN: Sorry for the delay! I swear I meant to do this sooner, but other things distracted me. But it's here now, so don't kill me?

I swear, this was supposed to be America's POV, but somewhere along the way it switched to Russia's. Oh well. Lotta stuff in here, and I got in the whole atmosphere of the approaching end of the Cold War – that is to say, the decreasing hostilities between the two. Of course, I like to thank little Samantha for that, thus why I dedicate this chapter to her.

Yes, H.W. Bush is Bush Sr., not Bush Jr., although the two are related. I am trying to avoid leaning one way or the other in terms of political views, seeing as I believe America would be neutral in the matter. I trust myself to not lean too far one way or the other, since I don't really judge presidents by their parties.

Finally, after reaching sixty chapter's worth of notes just as I was finishing book two convinced me that I need to break these down into separate stories. So this one will go to the end of first year, with the sequel picking up where this one leaves off. There'll probably be seven or eight stories in this series overall.

Enjoy!


	5. Trouble In Paradise

Across The Pond (Hetalia/Harry Potter)

Author: Ashynarr

Summary: In a universe where Petunia Evans died in an accident, a young Harry Potter, recently orphaned with no living family to be trusted, is entrusted to Canada by England for the child's protection. Too bad America gets involved...

Disclaimer: Hetalia's not mine. Harry Potter's not mine.

Warning: AU, Lots of History, AMECAN! (Non-explicit, just fluff)

Note: Read my Author's Page for notes on any differences between Hetalia!canon and my canon. You'll be less confused that way.

Act 1 - Part 5: Trouble In Paradise (In Which The Twins Have a Fight, Then Get Over It)

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~

((October 1987))

The two North American Nations kicked back as the meeting came to an end, the Free Trade Agreement ready to go through their respective governments for ratification. They'd been working on this together since May, and while he was finally glad to have finished it, Canada could help but worry. He started idly rubbing one of the new 'loonies' between his fingers and thumb, losing himself in thought.

He and America had already had fairly low trade barriers between them, which had helped both their economies, but this agreement was set to get rid of almost all the rest of them. That meant that their economies would be heavily dependent on each other, and any fluctuation in the value of either of their currencies would result in one side having a field day buying from the other.

He knew it was silly, but he felt like he was losing more of himself to his brother/lover/whatever they were. Canada knew his brother wasn't trying to make him join the union anymore, but could the same be said for his people? The more he thought about it, the more paranoid he got. The differences between them were already flimsy and blurred at their best; what would this new agreement do to them?

Already he saw the border, barely defined and completely undefended, slowly being wiped away, until there was no Canada anymore, just North America, all under the control of his twin. He imagined slowly fading away, becoming nothing more than a shadow before disappearing entirely. He bit his lip, mind lost to the world.

A pair of strong arms wrapped around him, pulling him into America's lap. He blinked, and realized that it was only the two of them left in the room, and his brother was watching him, concerned. "You alright, Mattie? You've been out of it for the past twenty minutes – everyone left already."

The northern Nation started worrying at his lip again, only to stop when a finger was put to his lips. "Don't do that, it's not good for you. What's up?"

Canada started twisting his hands together, nervous. "I – I don't know if we should go through with this. I mean, we're already fairly open with each other, so we don't really need to give this much access to each other's markets, right?"

The superpower frowned. "But we spent months hammering out all the details, and you want to back out now? My boss is already waiting to sign it and put it through Congress – it'll be really good for both of us."

His frustration increased. "But what else will this affect? Our cultures? Our social programs? Al, I don't want to lose myself to you and your people!"

America's arms loosened, allowing the northern twin to stand up and face him. His brother was watching him with concern. "Whoa bro, that's not what this is about."

"Isn't it, though?" Canada snapped out. "Haven't you always wanted me to become one with you? God, I thought you'd actually given up after I burned your capitol down, but that wasn't the end of it, was it?"

Now the southern Nation was starting to get angry. "Matt, I have no idea what you're going on about. My expansionist days are over and done with; you know that."

"Is it? Or are you just trying something new? How do I know you aren't just waiting for the right moment to take over without anyone noticing? How have I not noticed until now?" He was pulling at his hair, eyes locked on his twin. "When I was sick because of the low value of my dollar, were you taking care of me because you cared or because you didn't want me to collapse before you were ready?"

America looked offended. "Of course it's because I care! Isn't that why we agreed to start working on the FTA in the first place?"

"Because I thought it would be just a few more tariffs dropped here and there, not a full-blown opening of our trade sectors! What's next – my military? Oh wait, you've already tied yourself to that! How about my culture – oh look, there you are again! God, why don't you just erase the border already since it's obvious that that's what you want!"

"Matt! Calm down! Why are you so paranoid about the border? I mean, your people are still yours, and mine are still mine; a few extra trade opportunities aren't going to change that. Look, just agree to it and everything'll be fine, I promise."

"Oh, you'd like that, wouldn't you? Just go with whatever the big bad superpower says, it'll be fine – for you that is. Who cares that it's stripping away at your brother and making him more like you? Besides, doesn't everyone want to be just like you? It's even easier for Canada, because he's already just like you anyway, just with a few commie friends who'll scamper off once he's under your control!"

"I was just trying to keep them from making you communist, too! If you didn't have such poor tastes in friends, we wouldn't be having this argument."

Canada's eyes narrowed. "Excuse me? Just because you're the asshole of the world doesn't mean I have to give up my friendships with people who you'd realize were very nice if you weren't so busy with your pissing contest with Russia!"

"Okay, first off, we're getting along now, and second, Cuba? Nice? Please, that guy is pissed as fuck, and he still hasn't thanked me for saving his ass from Spain way back when."

"Well, he'd probably be more grateful if you hadn't immediately tried to make him into another state!"

"Why are we even fighting about him, anyway? I thought this was about the trade agreement!" Both were standing at this point, and although it hadn't escalated to screaming yet, they were getting angrier, the words sharpening as they tried to jab at the other.

"No, this is about your need to control everything in my life! When will it get through your thick head that I'm not you?"

"Well, if you stopped acting like such a whiny little bitch, maybe you'd realize that I've know that for a while now!"

"_Whiny_? What does that make you then, Captain Blowhard?"

"Not a pushover like you, that's for sure!"

"At least people like me!"

"When they remember you at all!" That was a low blow. America apparently realized that several seconds later, because his eyes widen in shock. "Mattie, I-"

But the door had already slammed shut, Canada desperately keeping himself from sprinting for the safety of his car, his house, his bed. He was pretty sure he broke a couple speed limits, but he didn't notice or care, busy as he was fighting back tears. He collapsed into his bed, thankful it was the weekend so he didn't have to pick Harry up from school.

His stomach twisted with the mixture of frustration, grief, anger, and fear coiling around his brain and heart. He fell into a fitful sleep, something he'd become familiar with over the following days.

~0~0~

Two weeks after the fight, Canada noticed Harry idly picking at his breakfast instead of inhaling it like he usually did. Concerned, he turned to him, wondering what was bothering his little brother. "Are you alright, Harry? You haven't touched your eggs at all."

The child looked up, frowning. "Why're you and Al mad at each other?"

Oh. Apparently he'd noticed how they'd taken to avoiding each other. Sometimes he wondered how observant the kid really was – he wasn't sure whether it was normal for human kids his age or not. "Well, we had a pretty big fight over something a couple weeks ago..."

"Why?" A simple question, with a complicated answer.

The Nation bit his lip. "It was over something silly. We really shouldn't have fought at all, but both of us were being dumb about it."

The boy nodded, as if confirming something. "Then shouldn't you apologize? That's what you have me do when I get into a dumb fight with the other kids."

"It's not that easy..." Well, it was, but he wasn't sure how to apologize. That was the issue, wasn't it? He was fairly certain, knowing his twin, that the other Nation was also having trouble thinking about how to make up. "...but we'll try to, alright?"

Harry frowned, but nodded, finishing off his breakfast and making his way out to the front hall. Canada was about to follow when he started feeling light-headed. When it didn't go away after a moment, he started to worry, wondering what was happening.

As he tried to shake off the increasing wooziness, he saw Nanuq come into the house, trailing some dirty paw prints across the recently scrubbed floor. "I just cleaned that..." Why did his voice sound so distant all of a sudden? As he felt his body crash, his last thoughts before darkness closed in were _I hope Alfred's okay..._

He woke up sometime later to the concerned face of his brother. Canada gave him a weak grin. "You look like crap."

America gave him a watery smile. "You don't look much better, Mattie."

A brief pause. "What happened?"

"Stock market crashed and burned. Started in Hong Kong, went to Europe, and then hit us. We're lucky; the others got hit much worse, especially Alex – heard she's got a huge fever now."

"Mmm..." A stray thought hit him. "And Harry?"

"Downstairs with Nanuq. All of us were worried, and he actually called me to tell me what was up after he came back to the kitchen to find you out cold." America's hand carefully brushed the northern Nation's hair back, and Canada leaned into the touch, just now realizing how much he'd missed it.

"How come you're okay?"

"Heard about the crash before it reached me, so I was ready when it hit. Rode it out, and was just getting over the worst of it when I got the call."

"Like you did with them?" Both knew the northern twin was referring to the ill-fated crew of _Challenger,_ something which still shook the superpower up. More than a year after the incident, and neither could stand remembering the bodies when they'd been found intact on the bottom of the Gulf.

"...yeah." A moment of silence. "I'm sorry, Mattie."

"Don't be – I was scared, and I was taking it out on you. I'm still scared," he admitted, and he felt his brother's hand cover his own. "And I know I'm being paranoid, but sometimes I think about how easy it would be for you to just swallow me whole, and I..." A light sniff. "I don't want to disappear, Al. I don't want to be forgotten..."

Arms wrapped around him, pulling him close. "I swear on my honor as a hero that I'll never let that happen to you, Mattie. You're – you're too important to me, to everyone, to just let you disappear without a fight."

As he returned the hug, he closed his eyes and smiled into his brother's shoulder. In the end, he knew he could trust his brother, and his brother could trust him, and nothing could get in the way of that.

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~

Timeline of Events:

-Jan 28th, '86 – _Space Shuttle Challenger_ Disaster costs the lives of seven astronauts.

-Jan 31st – Canadian dollar hits all-time low of 70.2 U.S. cents on international money markets

-Mar 9th – US Navy divers find intact but damaged crew compartment of _Challenger_; all seven astronauts' bodies are still inside.

-May – Work begins on Canada-US Free Trade Agreement (FTA).

-June 30th, '87 – Canada introduces 1$ coin 'loonie'.

-Oct 3rd/4th – FTA is reached, but still requires ratification.

-Oct 19th – 'Black Monday': Stock market levels fall sharply on Wall Street and around the world. New Zealand is hit the worst out of all the countries affected.

AN: So... I knew I wanted to get a fight in here somewhere, but I wasn't sure how to go about it. I put this to the side, and just last night, after I was going to bed anticipating coming back on today after the **blackout**, the chapter suddenly wrote itself out in my head all at once. If you've never had that feeling, it is amazing.

Anyway, yes, I got some more Harry (and Nanuq) in here, although not from his POV. I just thought of how my little brother would react to a fight in the family, and I went from there. I tried to make it so that neither side was completely in the right, but I don't know how well that came through. It was mostly Canada's paranoia and America's not understanding his brother's fears that caused the fight.

Fun facts: The FTA (precursor to the NAFTA) was extremely controversial in Canada for years. In fact, the only reason it stopped being controversial was because it was superseded by NAFTA (which is, you guessed it, controversial in Canada). Many felt that it would erode Canadian sovereignty, not to mention concerns over lots of other things that would be affected.

In fact, the next election was determined based on who was or wasn't supporting the agreement. Two people (John Turner and Ed Broadbent) were against it, one (Brian Mulroney) was for. Mulroney won even though more Canadians were against it, because Turner and Broadbent split the anti-agreement votes while Mulroney took all the pro-agreement votes.

In the US... forty percent of the population didn't even know the agreement had been signed, and Reagan put it on the Congress 'fast-track', where it was passed by both the House and Senate by comfortable margins in September 1988. We really weren't all that worried about it.

Longer chapter than usual, but this is what played out in my head, so enjoy the extra page of stuff. o3o


	6. Can You Feel It?

Across The Pond (Hetalia/Harry Potter)

Author: Ashynarr

Summary: In a universe where Petunia Evans died in an accident, a young Harry Potter, recently orphaned with no living family to be trusted, is entrusted to Canada by England for the child's protection. Too bad America gets involved...

Disclaimer: Hetalia's not mine. Harry Potter's not mine.

Warning: AU, Lots of History, AMECAN! (Non-explicit, just fluff)

Note: Read my Author's Page for notes on any differences between Hetalia!canon and my canon. You'll be less confused that way.

Act 1 - Part 6: Can You Feel It? (There's Change On The Wind...)

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~

Calgary, Harry found, was _really_ cold in the winter. Not that it wasn't cold in Ottawa, but this was a whole other level of cold. Alfred seemed to be in agreement, because he spent the first fifteen minutes outside the airport complaining before Matthew shut him up the way he usually did – that is to say, covering the other's mouth with his own.

Once he was old enough to realize that this wasn't a normal relationship between brothers he'd asked, only to learn that they we were just raised together. Alfred then muttered something about having the whackiest excuse of a family ever, only to get whacked in the head by Matthew. The conversation was dropped after that, although Harry would have loved to learn more about his adoptive family.

When they arrived at the hotel they were staying at for the Olympics, the first thing they did was drop their stuff off before heading out to see the new stadium. They spent most of the afternoon wandering around, Alfred and Harry sightseeing while Matthew quietly spoke with the various workers, making sure everything was ready for the opening ceremonies.

As more people started streaming in over the next few days, his older brother grew increasingly nervous, requiring his other older brother to pull him aside for a pep talk once or twice. During one of these pep talks, Harry was approached by someone he recognized from his brothers' stories of their caretaker.

"Hello there, Harry." The man said, polite smile and all. He held out his hand. "You may not remember me; we met when you were a babe."

Harry shook the hand eagerly. "You're Arthur, right? Al and Matt talk about you a bit. Mostly Al, though; is it true everything you cook can kill people?"

The smile had quickly disappeared from Arthur's face at the mention of Alfred, and he started to twitch and growl at the mention of his cooking. "That git – my cooking is perfectly fine!" He took several deep breaths. "You shouldn't listen to him; there's a reason I had Matthew look after you, after all."

This was new. Harry decided to keep quiet about his brothers, instead latching onto that last comment. "You gave me to Matt?"

Arthur blinked. "Ah, yes. He did tell you about your parents, correct?"

"Not a lot, only that they died protecting me. Like heroes." He added, earning another eye-twitch. Alfred was right – pushing the older man's buttons was fun.

"Yes, well, I was the one to take you in afterwords since you had no living relatives. But I found that taking care of you was difficult with the work I do, so I decided to entrust you to Matthew."

Harry nodded, absorbing this information. His older brothers returned about then, Alfred catching Arthur in a headlock and giving the smaller man a noogie. As the British man cussed up a storm and Alfred laughed, Matthew sighed and placed a hand on Harry's shoulder.

"I see you've met Arthur." He commented idly, light smile on his lips.

"He's... British." That was the only impression the boy had really gotten from the man.

"He is that." Arthur had escaped the other man's grip and was now yelling at him about proper manners and behavior, all of which Alfred seemed to be tuning out. When the smaller man looked about ready to smack him, Alfred laughed before running off, saying something about seeing Ivan down the hall.

Arthur took several deep breaths before turning back to the two spectators. "I swear I don't know what went wrong with him – I certainly didn't raise him to be that way..."

"Maybe you dropped him on his head a few times." Matthew helpfully supplied, earning a snort of amusement.

"Hardly – it's more likely that Francis and Gilbert knocked the sense out of him." But he was smiling, which meant he wasn't going to snap at either of them. "Since it's just us now, I believe now is as good a time as any to discuss Harry's future schooling."

Harry frowned. Was this something to do with that magical school he'd heard about once or twice? "I thought I was gonna go to Salem... wasn't that the school you mentioned?" He asked his brother.

Arthur looked like he'd been slapped. "Rubbish, that school is nothing compared to Hogwarts."

Harry and Matthew exchanged significant glances, and silently agreed to make sure Alfred never heard the dismissal of his favorite magical school.

"I know I promised he would go to Hogwarts once he turned eleven, but you have to realize he's grown up here – of course he'd think he's going to the closest school." Matthew said, quietly squeezing his little brother's shoulder so he didn't start complaining.

The older man sighed. "I suppose that makes sense... that's only to be expected of children." He bent down to Harry's level so they were eye to eye. "You've been listed since birth as a student of Hogwarts, the finest institute of magic the world has ever known. It's a boarding school, so I'm afraid you'll be away for most of the year, but I believe you'll enjoy it there."

Harry was confused and somewhat hurt. He had counted on being able to stay near his brothers, since he'd heard from Alfred that Salem was only two hours away from his house by car; that way he could at least visit one of his big brothers on the weekend. But going all the way to England for school?

Matthew bent down and whispered into his ear, "I know they don't have hockey or ice skating there even though they have a lake that freezes over in the winter. Maybe you can go and introduce them to the wonders of ice sports."

He could hear the smirk in his brother's voice, and suddenly found that maybe things wouldn't be so bad if he could educate the poor ignorant masses of the wonders of hockey. And ice skating. Maybe he'd bring an extra set of skates and another hockey stick.

"I'd love to go there, Arthur. Is there anything I should bring with me?"

Arthur beamed. "Just some clothing and maybe a few personal items – most of the things you'll be wearing will have to be bought when we're getting you your supplies."

"Why?" Harry tilted his head slightly.

"Well, the wizarding community has their own attire they prefer to wear – I'm afraid regular clothing would stand out too much."

Harry silently resolved to bring his own winter gear anyway; For all he knew they could all be wearing dresses or something, and he wanted no part in that.

Matthew glanced at the clock. "Oh, it's getting late. I need to be up early for the final inspection before the opening ceremonies tomorrow."

"Of course." Arthur said, standing back up and dusting himself off. He stopped as the thought seemed to strike him. "Oh, and you might want to be careful – there have been some wizards going around causing trouble. Blew up half of King's Cross a few months back – luckily, most of the damage was repaired before the students came back for break."

"I'll keep an eye out." Matthew said politely. "See you, Arthur."

"Good day to you too, Matthew, Harry." The man turned and left, and after a few moments Alfred returned, glancing down the way the British man had gone.

"Did you really go talk to Ivan?" The Canadian asked, eyebrow raised.

"Yeah. We talked about treaties and economies and stuff like that. What'd you guys talk about?" He asked as the three of them made their way out to catch a ride back to the hotel.

"Oh, mostly about schools and such."

Alfred frowned. "Arthur's still bugging you about that school of his? Don't know why Harry can't just go to Salem."

Matthew sighed. "I told you already – I promised Arthur that when Harry reached the right age he'd go to Hogwarts for schooling. I'm not particularly happy with it either, but you know how he gets about these things."

"I know, it's one of the reasons I left. No regrets there."

A beat, before the Canadian grinned. "You know, I've already told Harry he should introduce the students there to hockey and ice skating; what would you say to including catch in there as well?"

The American matched the grin. "I'd say that anything that'd give the old man a heart attack is alright in my book. You interested in bringing some good American sports over to jolly old England, Harry?"

Harry smiled. "I think that'd be fun! I'd need an extra mitt, though..."

The rest of the ride was spent debating what gear was really necessary for him to bring to school and what would be extra. And although Harry was worried about how he'd deal with being so far away from his family and friends, he decided to put that to the side in favor of enjoying the moment.

Well, up until Alfred causally implied the American hockey teams would beat theirs. Then it was on.

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~

Timeline of Events:

~Nov 18th, '87 - The King's Cross fire on the London Underground kills 31.

~Dec 8th - The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty is signed in Washington, D.C. by U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev.

~Jan 1st, '88 – The Soviet Union begins its program of economic restructuring (perestroika) with legislation initiated by Premier Mikhail Gorbachev (though Gorbachev had begun minor restructuring in 1985).

~Feb. 13th-28th – 1988 Winter Olympics held in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

AN: Chapter title is the motto for the '88 Winter Olympics. Sorry for not updating in a while... I got distracted with other stories, as you noticed. As always, you find the most interesting things while researching. Poor Canada, no golds at all in his first two hosted games. Yes, I have Nations using human names here because they're in a public place.

Anyway, this chapter was mostly to show how Harry had changed in different hands. It's also proof I haven't written for the HP fandom in years. ((sigh)) Hopefully he was still true to his core self. (I'm trying not to reread the books themselves so I don't subconsciously try to follow the exact timeline – there _should_ be changes, after all! My notes are from the lexicon, so the main events will still be remembered.)

One key thing I should note that you might have caught – Harry isn't as curious about his birth parents as canon! Yes it's strange, but with the normal, happy environment he grew up in, he never really developed the need to know about them. Sure, he'll accept what he can get, but he won't be pushing for information. (Also, hockey. Don't lie, I lived in Canada, I _know_ you people like hockey.)

Finally, that final line? Yes, Harry considers himself Canadian. Not British. This will have some effect down the road.


	7. Operation Desert Sabre

Across The Pond (Hetalia/Harry Potter)

Author: Ashynarr

Summary: In a universe where Petunia Evans died in an accident, a young Harry Potter, recently orphaned with no living family to be trusted, is entrusted to Canada by England for the child's protection. Too bad America gets involved...

Disclaimer: Hetalia's not mine. Harry Potter's not mine.

Warning: AU, Lots of History, AMECAN! (Non-explicit, just fluff)

Note: Read my Author's Page for notes on any differences between Hetalia!canon and my canon. You'll be less confused that way.

Act 1 - Part 7: Operation Desert Sabre (The Persian Gulf War)

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~

((August 1990))

"Is Yemen here yet?" America asked, all business. The UN Security Council had just gathered for an emergency meeting in New York after Iraq's sudden invasion of Kuwait, and only one member of the group was missing. It was late, and most of the members had just gotten in, so they likely wouldn't get much done this meeting.

"No, he said he'll be delayed and won't arrive for a few days." England responded coolly from his seat next to the superpower.

"We should get started – we can inform Yemen of our decisions later." Canada said from his seat further down the table.

"Alright then..." America said when the others seemed to be in agreement. "So everyone by now knows about Iraq's invasion of Kuwait, right?"

"Yes, we all know about it. The question is, what are we doing about it?" Cuba responded, fingers twirling an imaginary cigar.

"Isn't it obvious? We're going to make Iraq back out." America stated, hands braced on the table. "My military is already organizing and heading over to Saudi Arabia as a buffer against further aggression. In a few weeks they can be ready for a full-out liberation of Kuwait whenever the order is passed."

"Hopefully that won't be necessary," France said, "I'm certain a peaceful resolution can be reached."

The superpower shrugged. "I'm hoping so too, but I'm not betting on it."

Canada frowned. "I'm with Alfred on this one; the fact that Iraq invaded at all is probably a hint that he's not going to back down just because we tell him to."

The fact that the generally most peaceful Nation on the planet said that was a rather large statement in and of itself.

"Is that all we're dealing with here?" Russia asked, tired. "Because there are several other issues in Middle East that needs attention."

America waved his hand. "Maybe later, but right now we're all tired and we need to get a statement out fast. Any ideas on how to word it?"

Finland raised a hand. "How about 'leave Kuwait immediately and return to your positions as they were as of August First, under order of the UN'?"

China nodded, the only one who wasn't half-asleep. "That works for me. All in favor?"

The vote was unanimous in favor of it. America spoke up again. "Alright, I'll send the resolution out tonight – we'll meet again when we have a response from the Arab League. Your rooms are already set up – Matthew can take you to them."

As the room cleared out, America quickly wrote down a draft that his staff could read over before sending it out. He had a feeling things weren't about to improve.

~0~0~

((January 1991))

"No." Three voices said in unison.

"We already agreed we aren't dealing with anything else in the Middle East right now." England started, annoyed.

"I am already committing forces to this; I do not wish to waste resources on events that do not involve me." Russia continued, also annoyed.

"Besides, that goes way beyond our original resolutions, all of which you already agreed to." America pointed out.

France huffed. "It was just a thought; we are almost at the deadline with no sign of Iraq pulling out, and while I have agreed to support the operations, it does not mean I have to like it."

Several other countries murmured in agreement, and America idly wished his brother was still on the council; but no, he'd rotated out this year, and already he missed the supporting voice that had gotten so much done during the first few weeks of this issue.

China kicked back. "It seems the only thing left to decide is who will lead the forces there."

All eyes turned to the superpower. "What? I was about to offer anyway, since it's mostly my people over there."

England nodded. "It's settled than. Alfred, the United Nations Council is putting you in charge of our operations. Good luck."

America grinned. "I don't need luck, but thanks anyway. I'll ship out now so that I get there in time for the action."

~0~0~

"But Al, that's on the other side of the world!" Harry complained when America told his brothers about his deployment, already in uniform. "And what if you're not back in time for graduation?"

The superpower chuckled, rubbing the younger boy's hair. "We'll be in and out of there in no time – everyone's backing this, so we're just going to swoop in and save the day."

Canada rolled his eyes. "Always the hero complex with you."

America grinned, swooping in for a kiss, chuckling at the gagging noises from Harry. "You know you love it."

"Mmm," The northern Nation replied. "I must after putting up with you for this long."

With one last hug, the superpower turned and walked away, already preparing himself for the battlefield. He gave once last glance to the picture in his hand before tucking it into his breast pocket, to remain there for the duration of the war.

On the plane, he discussed plans for aerial assaults on military structures. At the base camp, after getting some rest, he discussed follow-up pushes from ground forces once the enemy defenses had been sufficiently torn apart. They also planned their distraction, so that the Iraqi forces would be out of position, further weakening their lines.

Finally, on January 17th, the coalition attacked.

~0~0~

They'd overestimated the enemy forces. In less than a month they had taken out most of the heavy defenses, making it much easier on the ground forces, who already had an advanced thanks to their state-of-the-art technology. The air defense made it even easier, and soon they were pushing into Kuwait itself.

When pressed, the Iraqi forces fell back, leaving only minimal defenses in the capital. It was quickly taken back by Kuwaiti forces while the coalition continued to push forward. The only trouble was the oil wells that the enemy set on fire in their wake, along with the landmines meant to deter and delay any attempts to put the fires out.

America frowned when the message came in from the UN with the cease-fire agreement. "They haven't been out here... Iraq won't leave unless we scare him out." He sent a return response, stating that he wouldn't pull back, but wouldn't attack retreating forces either. He gave Iraq one full day before the coalition pushed to the border, capturing any stragglers.

The next day the coalition pushed into Iraq all along the border. Resistance was greater, as the Iraqi forces didn't back down right away, but casualties were minimal for the UN forces, and soon all the forces were retreating along the main highway...

Exactly as planned.

Air forces dropped death down along the retreating forces, chasing them almost all the way to the capital before pulling back. Somewhere in the middle of the attack, a missile had been launched, damaging one of the US barracks and killing several people, not counting the hundred or so injured.

One hundred hours after the ground forces set out, President Bush sent a message declaring a ceasefire and the successful liberation of Kuwait. Several hours later, America, Kuwait, and Iraq all stood together, signing the papers that would officially end the war.

The superpower was upset he wasn't allowed to help that uprising to the north, since they'd been counting on him to help, but he'd been ordered to pull back without doing anything else. A part of him wondered whether he should have just kept going, but he pushed it to the side in favor of knowing he and his people were heading home.

It was March when America returned home, dusty but none the worse for wear. It was hard to not just run over the pull Canada into the biggest kiss he could (just like in the movies), but he was well rewarded for his patience when, after his debriefing and being informed of his well-earned vacation, he ended up at his brother's house.

With Harry sitting on his lap asking about everything he'd seen and Canada sitting beside both of them with a warm smile, America felt like he was truly home.

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~

Timeline of Events:

~Aug 2nd,'90 – Iraq invades Kuwait, starting the Persian Gulf War; emergency session of UNSC called; UNSC calls for Iraq's immediate withdrawal from Kuwait.

~Jan 17th, '91 – Operation Desert Storm begins; UN coalition of forces lead by US begin fight for liberation of Kuwait.

~Feb 28th – President Bush declares ceasefire, and also declares Kuwait to be liberated.

~Mar 10th - 540,000 American troops began to move out of the Persian Gulf.

(For all events, check out 'Gulf War'. I figure you might as well learn some stuff while reading this.)

AN: I would've had this up yesterday, but two things stopped me. First, ffnet was (and still kinda is) being a bitch and I can only access my account (everything else, like reading stories or checking the forum, has to be done on my other computer. =3=). Second, I was debating whether to do another couple chapters on the last three years or just jump to the Gulf War like I originally planned...

I went with the latter, simply because, like my friend said, I do better when I go with my 'gut instinct' for how the story should go. So... yeah. Next chapter will be The Letter, so we'll actually be reaching that happy balance between 'Hetalia' chapters and 'Harry Potter' chapters soon.

So... yeah. UN building is in New York, so I decided to have the emergency meeting there. The fifteen members of the Security Council for 1990 were the Big Five (US, UK, France, USSR/Russia, and China) along with Canada, Ivory Coast, Columbia, Cuba, Ethiopia, Finland, Malaysia, Romania, Yemen, and Zaire. In 1991 the other members were Austria, Belgium, Ivory Coast, Cuba, Ecuador, India, Romania, Yemen, Zaire, and Zimbabwe.

Finally, yes, Canada was actually quick to jump on the 'Let's liberate them!' bandwagon, right behind his brother. That should say a lot in and of itself.

(Apologies for the gross over-simplification of events in that particular war... I just wanted to keep to my chapter length while keeping everything important in there... including the picture. I wonder if anyone can guess what's on it...)

(I also apologize if it feels rushed, but I just wanted to skip past it to get to the stuff you all wanted to see. Also, it's also a nice introduction to the fact that they're really considering each other family at this point.)


	8. A Letter From Britain

Across The Pond (Hetalia/Harry Potter)

Author: Ashynarr

Summary: In a universe where Petunia Evans died in an accident, a young Harry Potter, recently orphaned with no living family to be trusted, is entrusted to Canada by England for the child's protection. Too bad America gets involved...

Disclaimer: Hetalia's not mine. Harry Potter's not mine.

Warning: AU, Lots of History, AMECAN! (Non-explicit, just fluff)

Note: Read my Author's Page for notes on any differences between Hetalia!canon and my canon. You'll be less confused that way.

Act 1 - Part 8: A Letter From Britain (In Which We Finally Get To The Other Plot)

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~

The morning of the thirty first day of July dawned brightly, promising a warm, sunny day ahead. Even as the sun rose that Wednesday morning, someone was already awake in the Williams household.

Harry James Potter, just turning eleven that day, carefully made his way down the hall, intending to wake his older brother Matthew up just like Alfred did on the Canadian's birthday. Luckily his older brother had been given the day off for Harry's birthday, or else this plan wouldn't have worked.

He'd been informed in all seriousness by Alfred that the best way to get Matthew to agree to make his completely awesome chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast was to catch him right when he was waking up and was unaware of quite what he was agreeing to. Of course, the Canadian would get revenge in some subtle way later, but the pancakes were always worth it.

So Harry, at just before six in the morning, carefully pushed the door to the master bedroom open, careful not to let it creak. Good, the form in the bed wasn't moving, but Nanuq raised his head to blink blearily at him. The boy quickly put a finger to his lips before pointing to first Matthew, then out in the direction of the kitchen, and then made a flipping gesture that he knew the bear associated with pancakes.

Once it was clear the polar bear wouldn't give him away, he waited just long enough for Nanuq to clamber out of the way before taking several steps back. He took a deep breath, before sprinting forward, crying out gleefully as he made a mighty leap, flying in an arc to land right next to his older brother. "Maaaaaaaaattieeeeeeeeeeeee!"

The lump in the bed moved, peeking out from under the covers to glare at him tiredly. Not giving Matthew a chance to speak, Harry pushed on. "It's my birthday today, and you promised to make your super-special pancakes for me today!"

Matthew groaned as he rolled over. "'lright, jus' give me a few minutes..."

Cheering, Harry rolled off the bed, knowing he'd push his luck if he lingered too long. "C'mon Nanuq, let's get everything out for him!"

The bear eagerly trailed his heels to the kitchen, and the two managed through teamwork to pull everything out before the Canadian came downstairs. Harry was the one to clamber up onto the counter to pull stuff out of the higher shelves, while Nanuq pulled out the mixing bowl, pan, and wooden spoon.

They had just finished pulling everything out when Matthew stumbled down the stairs, rubbing at his eyes. "You do realize it's six in the morning, right?"

Harry nodded, jumping up onto one of the stools in the small kitchen. "Yeah, but it's my birthday! I couldn't sleep, and you promised chocolate chip pancakes!"

Matthew just sighed, failing to suppress an amused grin. "You've spent way too much time with Alfred."

"You spend more time with him than me!" Harry responded. "And you don't mind when Al does it!"

"That's because I can't make him stop. You, however, should know better." Matthew replied, waving the spoon at his younger brother before using it to start mixing the batter together.

It seemed to take ages, but finally the first batch of pancakes were set out before the younger boy, who wasted no time before digging in. Between one bite and the next, something seemed to occur to him. "Where's Al? He's usually here by now..."

Matthew flipped the last of the pancakes onto another plate and started to pour syrup over them. "He's in Moscow right now. Since they're ahead of us, he should be able to finish up his work and catch a flight back in time for your party."

Harry blinked. "Why's he in Russia?"

"To sign a very important treaty. In fact, he's probably finishing up right now, since it's almost..." A pause as the older calculated in his head. "...two thirty in the afternoon there."

"Oh." Harry frowned. He'd been looking forward to spending the morning with just the three of them, but he knew Alfred's job was very important, and if he had to go all the way to Russia...

The phone rang about then. Matthew walked over, picking it up off the receiver. "Hallo?" A bright smile crossed his face. "Yeah, we were just talking about you. Everything alright?"

Harry perked up, sliding off the stool and standing next to Matthew.

"Yes, we both missed you this morning. ...yes, he did." Laughter came over the line. "It's your fault, Al, and you will pay for it later."

Matthew rolled his eyes. "Yes, I love you too. Someone wants to talk to you." A pause, before the phone was handed to Harry.

"_Hey kiddo, sorry for not being there. Just got out of the meeting with the Russians, so I should be able to get back there soon._"

Harry grinned. "Will you be here for the party?"

"_Definitely. Although you might have to put up with me falling asleep once I get there – the eight hour time difference is no joke."_ There were some voices in the background. "_Hey, my flight's about to take off. I'll see ya soon, 'kay?_"

"Alright."

"_Love ya, brat._"

Harry pouted. "I'm not a brat." A pause. "Love you too."

The phone went back to Matthew, who spoke with Alfred for a bit longer before hanging up. Once the phone was replaced into its receiver, he turned to his younger brother. "Now, since we're all done with breakfast, I think it's about time we set up for your party. Your friends will be over for lunch, right?"

~0~0~

The party was just ending when a car pulled into the driveway. Harry was already halfway there when the driver's door opened to reveal Al, who was speaking with someone in the passenger's seat.

Alfred turned back just in time to catch is younger brother's tackle-hug, laughing even as he playfully ruffled the younger boy's hair. "Sorry I'm late – I had to wait for Arthur's plane at the airport since he decided to arrive right after me."

Said Britishman scowled. "You were coming here anyway – I hardly see the need to rent a car when I could just go with you."

Matthew came over, having just waved away the last of the party guests and their parents. "Hi Alfred – oh, hi Arthur." He greeted, only noticing Arthur after greeting his brother. "I thought you were coming by tomorrow... something about the WTO?"

The British man waved a hand dismissively. "It's merely a formality at this point. The actual meeting to dissolve the treaty was on the first; there was no need for me to be present for the ceremony."

Harry almost wished he had so that he could still have some time with just his older brothers, but apparently that wouldn't happen. Arthur finally spoke to him. "Hello again, Harry. It's been a while."

The boy nodded carefully. "You told me about Hogwarts..."

The older man smiled. "Yes. That reminds me, I have your letter here..." He dug into his bag, eventually pulling out a think envelope that he handed over to the younger boy with a flourish.

Harry glanced over the address on the front, written in green ink, before flipping it over. He stared at the wax seal – a wax seal! So weird! - before carefully opening it. The letter was written on what Matthew quietly muttered was parchment, and he quietly read out the first page.

HOGWARTS SCHOOL _of_ WITCHCRAFT _and_ WIZARDRY

Headmaster: ALBUS DUMBLEDORE

_(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,_

_Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)_

Dear Mr. Potter,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.

Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall

Deputy Headmistress

Harry bit his bottom lip. He knew this was supposed to be exciting, and he'd known about this for a while but... he glanced at his older brothers before returning his gaze to Arthur. He put on his best grin, before saying honestly "I don't know what to say..."

Arthur pat him in the head. "It's alright. I know it's a bit overwhelming, but I assure you you'll enjoy the school immensely."

Matthew chose that moment to intervene. "Would you like to come in? I could make you some tea..."

Arthur smiled thankfully. "That would be lovely, Matthew." He and Matthew continued to speak even as they entered the house, leaving Harry and Alfred outside, Harry still looking at nothing in particular.

Alfred put a hand on his younger brother's shoulder. "You alright?"

Harry hesitated before nodding. "I know Matt promised and everything, but..."

"...you're scared."

The younger boy looked up, seeing the sympathetic expression on his brother's face. "...I dunno. I just... it wasn't _real_ before."

Alfred nodded. "Yeah, this was one of the reasons I didn't want you to go. But Matt's right – it's a chance to see more of the world. Sure, we won't be able to hang out on the weekends, but we can always send letters to each other." He suddenly grinned. "Besides, this was your chance to convert everyone there to hockey and stuff, right? You can't do that without a good ol' American can-do attitude!"

"...but I'm Canadian."

Alfred waved it off. "If I say you're an honorary American, then you're an honorary American. Now, in the time-honored tradition of Americans everywhere..." he struck a pose. "...let's go annoy the British!"

Harry laughed. "Okay!"

And they did. And it was glorious. (Up until Matthew had to intervene to keep Arthur from strangling Alfred.)

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~

Timeline of Events:

~July 1st – Warsaw Pact officially dissolved at a meeting in Prague

~July 31st – US and USSR sign START 1 treaty limiting strategic nuclear weapons.

~July 31st – WTO officially dissolved in accordance with a protocol calling for a "transition to all-European structures."

AN: I can hear the cheers from here. Yes, we're finally getting to the main Harry Potter plot. Of course, the first and most obvious thing to note is how different this is from it's canon equivalent – oh, chapter four, I think? His life is... normal. Well, as normal as it can be, but seriously – birthday party, family bonding, yadda yadda etcetera.

START 1 was signed in Moscow. Obviously this meant right afterwords America had to grab a flight back in time for the party. Ahaha... yeah. Also felt like being all nostalgic by styling the start of the chapter just like the books. Then it slowly went back to my normal style.

Hmm... oh, also, like I said in UATW, I've gone through and actually rewritten all my notes. So this story (At least this part of the whole thing) will be around... twenty four chapters. Of course, the other installments of the series will be longer, but I haven't... actually... finished the notes for those yet. Ehehehe...


	9. Across The Pond

Across The Pond (Hetalia/Harry Potter)

Author: Ashynarr

Summary: In a universe where Petunia Evans died in an accident, a young Harry Potter, recently orphaned with no living family to be trusted, is entrusted to Canada by England for the child's protection. Too bad America gets involved...

Disclaimer: Hetalia's not mine. Harry Potter's not mine.

Warning: AU, Lots of History, AMECAN! (Non-explicit, just fluff)

Note: Read my Author's Page for notes on any differences between Hetalia!canon and my canon. You'll be less confused that way.

Act 1 - Part 9: Across The Pond (In Which They Go To Diagon Alley)

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~

((August 7th))

England held back an amused chuckle as Harry yawned again. The boy still hadn't quite adjusted to the time zone difference yet, and while he might have normally waited a bit longer before making the trip to Diagon Alley, he figured it would be best in this case to get him his supplies sooner rather than later so he had something to do on the days the Nation absolutely had to go into work.

From what he'd learned from Canada during his several day stay in the country, Harry enjoyed reading as long as it was a subject that interested him. And, the Canadian had added, Harry was _very_ interested in magic, ever since his first accidental case of it.

And thus the two were making their way down the streets of London that sunny Wednesday morning, looking for one building in particular-

"Are we there yet?"

...and promptly the good mood was gone. Why had he allowed the boy to live somewhere where America could influence him? Oh, right, he hadn't had any other options and he's made the decision on several days of interrupted sleep. Brilliant work there.

Ignoring the small reminder of just who'd raised the superpower, he replied, "Almost. See that pub right up there that people are ignoring?"

"Uh..." Harry peered ahead through his glasses (which looked rather like the ones his former colonies wore). "The one with that wood pot sign?"

"Cauldron." England corrected. "And yes, that would be the Leaky Cauldron. We can get to Diagon Alley through there."

"Sorry," The boy apologized, looking momentarily apologetic before he perked up again. "We can really get everything there?"

The Brit chuckled. "Of course. The Alley is the largest and best-known magical shopping district in the isles. It has just about everything, including its own branch of Gringotts – ah, the wizarding bank – and a world-famous wand shop."

"Cool..." Harry breathed, and with that the two stepped into the dimly-lit building.

"Keep your head down and stay quiet – I don't want to cause a scene." He whispered to the boy, who blinked at him in confusion but nodded to show he understood.

"Ah, Lord Kirkland, what brings you by today?" Tom asked, recognizing the person who occasionally stopped by for a bite whenever he was in the area.

"Just some business in the Alley – I'm afraid I can't linger today." The Nation apologized, already making his way towards the exit. The child thankfully stuck beside him, not wandering off.

"Oh? And who it that with you?" Drat.

"Ah, a friend of mine's son. I'm taking him shopping today since they can't."

Tom smiled knowingly. "That's awfully generous of you. Hope your trip goes well today... oh, I should tell you, someone tried to break into one of the high-security vaults at Gringotts about a week ago, so the goblins are all up in arms. You'd best be careful when going in there."

What? Why hadn't he heard about this? Then again, he had been rather busy these past few days... "Who tried?"

The barkeep frowned. "That's just it – no one knows. Whoever tried managed to get away without a trace. All anyone could get from the the goblins was that the vault was emptied right before it happened."

"I see." England frowned, storing that information away for later. "Thank you, Tom."

"Not a problem. Have a good day."

"You too."

The two finally ducked into the backroom that led to the alley, the Briton still frowning in thought. Harry spoke up, surprising the Nation. "Goblins?"

"Oh, right, they're the ones who run Gringotts the world over. They're very protective and possessive of gold, so they make good bankers. Just don't try to double-cross them – they don't take kindly to that."

"Oh... alright." England hoped that was the end of the matter. It wasn't. "Then why would someone try to steal from them?"

"They were probably very desperate." For what, he could only guess at until he could get more information. With no more questions presenting themselves at the time, the two proceeded through the gateway into Diagon Alley.

~0~0~

After a fast trip into Gringotts to get some money for Harry to use (and he'd had to hold back a laugh at how wide eyed the boy had gotten when he'd laid eye upon the heaps of coins in the vault), the two were now working their way down the list of goods.

Fortunately (or unfortunately), their first stop was Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. The trial to get Harry to actually go inside went something like this.

"But they're dresses!"

"They are _robes_ and required uniform for school."

"I'll look stupid!"

Exasperated sigh. "Everyone will be wearing them. You would stand out more in your usual clothing."

Harry grimaced, obviously not happy about this. At least he wasn't throwing a full-out tantrum like he'd seen of one boy the other day when his mother had tried to keep him from getting ice cream.

"The sooner you get this over with, the sooner we can get the rest of your list done and the more time you'll have in the bookshop."

That cinched the deal. The boy, after lingering outside a bit longer just to be stubborn, finally entered the building only to be descended on by the owner herself. After his fitting (during which England had to resist the urge to slap the boy on the back of the head when he kept making faces when he thought no one was looking), they left to visit the Apothecary and Wiseacre's Wizarding Equipment for his other supplies.

They stopped for lunch at a small cafe near the bookstore, Harry not commenting on the taste like he had the first few times experiencing English cuisine.

(The boy had flat out refused to eat anything of his, so he'd been forced to let the boy cook for himself. England only hovered to make sure the boy didn't try to eat nothing but sugary foods like Canada had when left to his own devises.)

In the middle of their meal, Harry spoke up again. "Back at the bar-" _pub_, England corrected. "-you told me to not talk at all. And the only time you've used my name is when we were talking to the goblins. What's so bad with people knowing who I am?" Before the Nation could answer, he went on. "Does it have to do with my parents?"

Well, he supposed he should have expected this. "...yes. How much has Matthew told you about them other than that they died protecting you?"

Harry frowned, thinking. "Ah, well, they were both magical, and that the guy who did it died too."

The Englishman nodded. "That's just about everything the people around here know as well. However, since no one knew how he disappeared, the accepted theory became that somehow you managed to defeat him when no one else could."

"...well, that's just dumb. I was _one_ – what could I do?"

England chuckled. "Yes, it does seem rather ridiculous, right? A less popular theory is that your mother, Lily, found an unnamed spell that triggered on her death and caused his spell to backlash on him. Either way, the backlash of magic is supposed to be what gave you that scar of yours."

The boy's hand rose to cover it, even though it was hidden by his messy bangs. "...really?"

"There are many theories, some more popular than others, but no one living knows what happened that night for certain. However, you'll probably be bombarded with the fame that comes with your name the moment people learn who you are. Since I didn't want to dump it on you the first time you came here, I felt it was best to just stay quiet; under the radar, so to speak."

Harry nodded, but said nothing else. They finished in silence, paying the owner before heading into the bookstore. The boy instantly disappeared between the shelves, off to hunt down whatever caught his interests. Thankful the Nation had thought of getting a trunk first so there was somewhere to put whatever the boy was going to get. After speaking with the man behind the desk, he set off to find where the other had gone.

To his surprise, he turned a corner to see Harry in the middle of a conversation with another boy his age. The two made quite an interesting contrast, the stranger's shyness polar opposite of Harry's bright-eyed intensity as he told the other about something. For a brief moment he compared the two to a young Canada and America before shaking himself out of his thoughts.

"Who's your friend?" He asked, startling the two.

"This is Neville! He's gonna be in the same year as me! Oh, this is Arthur, but Al and I call him Artie because it annoys him." Harry responded cheerfully, Neville giving a light wave as he was introduced.

"Neville!" A sharp voice sounded, and from around the corner came Lady Augusta Longbottom, current head of the House of Longbottom. She stopped short upon seeing the people with her grandson. "Lord Kirkland," she stated politely.

"Lady Augusta." He replied in turn.

Now that the small formality was out of the way, her gaze turned to Harry, who in his favor only flinched a bit under her sharp eyes. "And you are?"

After a fast glance at the Nation, who gave the silent all clear, he turned back to the older woman. "I'm Harry Potter, miss."

Her eyebrows rose, and Neville stared at his new friend with surprise. "You definitely look like a young James, but your eyes are definitely Lily's. But the accent – I can't place it off the top of my head..."

"I grew up in Ottawa – that's in Canada."

She hummed thoughtfully. "No wonder no one could find you; who would think to look that far away?"

"That's why I was raised there. Neville's been telling me a lot about what it's like over here!"

"Is that true?" Augusta turned to the other boy, who shrank back a bit before nodding. "...I see. Well, Harry, our house is always open to you, considering the Potters and Longbottoms are long-time friends and allies."

Actually, that sounded like a great help to England, who hadn't wanted to leave the boy by himself, even with the fey to watch him. He reentered the conversation. "Actually, if it isn't too much of a bother... I occasionally have to leave for business elsewhere, and I'd prefer not leaving Harry alone if at all possible..."

"Consider it done." Augusta responded. "Neville needs a friend around, and I'd like to see the next generation of Potters and Longbottoms start off strong. You'll call ahead when you plan on dropping him off, correct?"

"Of course." The Nation stated, feeling relieved. "I'll give you my address so you can contact me as well, since the boy is currently under my care."

They continued on until all the details had been hammered out, and the two groups parted with both boys confused but elated because they would be able to spend time together before school started up. In addition, Harry having a friend now meant he wouldn't be quite as overwhelmed when he arrived at Hogwarts and got Sorted.

All in all, it was a successful day in the Nation's opinion.

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~

Timeline of Events:

~Aug 3nd – Harry & Arthur fly over to England

~Aug 7th – Trip to Diagon Alley; Harry meets Neville

AN: Okay, I give up. I'm just gonna update whatever my muse feels like updating, whenever my muse feels like updating. I've lost all control over my writing at this point, and all I can do is hope you people will forgive me for the erratic scheduling. In return I made this five pages instead of four (and totally not because I couldn't find a place to cut it off...) I went back and cleaned up the story here and there, so if you want to refresh your memory of events or just want to see the changes, go back and read up.

Why Neville and not Draco? Because according to the original timeline, Harry went to the Alley on his birthday, while in this case he's going almost a week later. Also, from what research I did the Weasleys go about mid-August, so after Harry went in this timeline, so no Ron either.

So changes: He meets Neville, and he doesn't meet Hagrid, Draco, or Quirrel. I was also considering having him meet Hermione this chapter, but after some thought decided it was too unlikely and scrapped that idea.

[[...you know what I really want for a cover for this story? A picture of Harry with a red hoodie with a white maple leaf on it, and a nice pair of glasses that look like the ones the twins wear. And a hockey stick over his shoulder and a nice grin on his face. Can I has pretty please?]]


	10. Traditions and Progression

Across The Pond (Hetalia/Harry Potter)

Author: Ashynarr

Summary: In a universe where Petunia Evans died in an accident, a young Harry Potter, recently orphaned with no living family to be trusted, is entrusted to Canada by England for the child's protection. Too bad America gets involved...

Disclaimer: Hetalia's not mine. Harry Potter's not mine.

Warning: AU, Lots of History, AMECAN! (Non-explicit, just fluff)

Note: Read my Author's Page for notes on any differences between Hetalia!canon and my canon. You'll be less confused that way.

Act 1 - Part 10: Traditions and Progression

[[No promises, but I'm hoping to set up an update schedule for my three stories. This would be the Monday update, needless to say. HT would be Wednesday, and UATW would be Friday. We'll see, though.

Also, thank Dixie C. Jones for the new cover art for this story! I love it!]]

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((August 20th))

The first thing Harry noted upon recovering from his dizzying (and slightly frightening) trip through the Floo system was that the room he was lying in felt old. Of course, this made sense because it _was_ old – almost two hundred years according to Neville's grandma – but it was still weird when he was used to being surrounded by new things most of the time.

He hadn't expected to be going over to his friend's house that day, but Arthur had been adamant for some reason that he be out of the house for the day. All he'd heard was mumbling about something happening in Russia and Estonia, and so assumed it was some big political matter. Considering how the older man was acting, it must have been huge - hopefully he'd be able to find out more when he came back from Neville's house.

After being shown how to use the Floo system (and being assured that no it would not burn him and that yes it was a normal method of transport and that no wizards were not 'nuts' would you just go already?), he was whirling and spinning until he was spit out the other side. Of course he hadn't expected the abrupt end to the trip, which was why he was now lying on his back staring up as the spinning ceiling.

He craned his head back when he heard footsteps approaching, grinning sheepishly as the upside-down form of his new friend entered his field of view. "Uh, I can explain."

"It's okay," Neville replied with a small smile as he offered a helping hand to his friend, who took it thankfully. "I have trouble with the Floo too."

Now that he was on his feet Harry was able to get a better look at the room he was in, which was some sort of study. There were plenty of books on the shelves around the room, and if he ever had the chance he'd definitely ask to borrow a few that looked interesting. The walls were painted in soft shades of blue with fancy designs tracing all around, and the furniture was all wood and bronze inlays. He bet anything in the room would sell for a lot to antique collectors, especially with their good condition.

Once he was done he turned his attention back to his shyer friend, who led him out and down the halls until they reached another room – a dining room from the looks of things – where Ms. Longbottom was waiting. This room was in muted shades of red, including most of the furniture.

"Hi, Ms. Longbottom." He greeted, earning a small twitch of her lips that might have been a smile.

"Hello, Mr. Potter." She returned the greeting. "Come, sit down; Lord Kirkland informed me you haven't had breakfast yet."

Considering that the Brit had tried to make something to eat and once again failed spectacularly, Harry hadn't really had the desire to eat before coming over. It proved to be a blessing in disguise, as he might have thrown up upon arrival if he had. "No, ma'am. And you don't have to call me 'mister' – just Harry is okay."

She nodded slightly in understanding as the two boys sat down in the open chairs. Harry squirmed a bit as his stomach let him know it hadn't had anything to eat yet.

"Mitzi." The elderly woman called out calmly, and out of thin air popped one of the ugliest creatures he had ever seen. The worn outfit it was wearing didn't help much, either.

It bowed lightly, before asking in a high, squeaky voice "Does the missus and young misters be wanting breakfast now?"

"Yes; bring the usual for Neville and myself. As for Harry... is there anything specific you'd like?"

The last was directed at the visitor, who blinked out of his momentary surprise at seeing the creature pop out of thin air. He shook his head. "I can have what Neville's having."

The creature bowed again before popping out of existence. "What was that?" Harry asked after it left.

"A house elf; certainly Lord Kirkland has introduced you to his by now."

He shook his head again. "Arthur doesn't have any I've seen, and he's never mentioned them."

She frowned. "That's strange... all the older houses have a least a handful to their name, and Kirkland is one of the oldest. Who does your cooking then if the elves don't?"

"Usually me, since he keeps burning most of the food."

"You cook?" Neville asked, surprised. Ms. Longbottom didn't say anything, but her raised eyebrow suggested a similar sentiment.

Harry shrugged. "Not a lot, but Matt taught me how to cook a few things on the stove."

"I see." That was about when the house elf returned, setting the food down in front of their respective recipients. "Thank you, Mitzi." The little creature bowed and disappeared, leaving the three to start eating.

"What else to do house elves do?" The Canadian asked after a few moments of silence as they ate.

"Mostly housework; laundry, cleaning, dusting. Occasionally they're used to deliver private letters between friends or run errands."

"So... they're like servants?" He didn't know how he felt about that, seeing as pretty much no one he'd heard of in either Canada or America (other than the really rich) had servants of any kind. Then again the Longbottoms were supposedly really rich, so... it sort of made sense they'd have them. It was still weird though.

"Yes." Ms. Longbottom sipped at her tea before continuing. "Most of the Noble Houses have anywhere from six to a dozen house elves to their name at any point of time. The only place to host more is Hogwarts, which has hundreds working there. House Longbottom currently has eight to its name."

"Oh." Harry took it all in, frowning thoughtfully.

There was another short moment of silence as they finished eating, the house elf appearing to take the dishes to who knew where. Ms. Longbottom dismissed them to go play, and Harry managed to convince Neville to show him his room. Once the two were in the rather lavish room (in the Canadian's opinion, anyway), the English boy pulled out a deck of cards and started showing his friend how to play Exploding Snap (or a variant that didn't need wands, as Harry was informed – which was a good thing, because it meant the cards didn't actually explode on you either).

"Did you really grow up without any house elves around?" Neville asked, curious as he flipped another card.

The Canadian nodded. "Yeah, Mattie did all the chores until I was old enough to help out a bit. He makes Al help too when he comes over."

"Huh," His friend replied, matching a set. "I would have thought you'd grown up in a mansion with dozens of house elves and surrounded by teachers teaching you magic from when you could walk."

Harry laughed. "Nah, Matt and Al don't use magic even though they know about it. My life was pretty normal, really. Do people really think I live like that?"

Neville flushed a bit in embarrassment. "Well, that's what some people think anyway. Everything about you was like something out of a story."

"They were," Harry matched another set. "I think I'd remember fighting dragons or evil wizards. Even the whole Voldemort thing is-" He was interrupted as his friend gasped, and he looked up to see his friend looking paler than he had a moment ago. "What?"

"You said his name." The English boy whispered, wide eyed.

"Well, yeah." Rather belatedly Harry remembered the warning Arthur had given about using the name around magical folk, as they were still afraid of the person associated with it. "Sorry, I forgot people don't like hearing his name."

Neville swallowed, putting on a brave face. "I-It's okay. You just surprised me."

Harry nodded slowly, a bit worried about his friend, before continuing. "I don't really think I beat Vo- that guy. I was only one – what could I have done?"

"...I don't know... I never really thought about it before..." His friend admitted quietly.

"Arthur thinks it was something my mom did. I dunno what to think, but I'm just glad he's gone. From what I heard he was worse than most of the supervillians in Al's comic books."

"Comic books?" Neville asked. Harry was floored.

"You've never read comic books?" The shy boy shook his head, and the Canadian took on a determined expression. "Then I'll show you the ones I brought with me next time we see each other, okay? Oh man, I can't wait to show you-"

And he was off, describing all the various characters and events in the various collections he'd read, Neville following along with increasing interest. By the time one of the other house elves appeared to inform the two that it was time for Harry to go home, the two were both hyped up for the next time they got together and Harry could actually show him all of those things.

The Canadian Floo'd back home in a great mood. It became even better when he saw both his older brothers waiting in the living room when he walked in.

"Matt! Al!" He all but leapt onto them, laughing as he hugged both of them. "You came early!" He pulled back, grinning widely at the two. "I thought you weren't coming until I left for school."

Alfred laughed a bit, ruffling his younger brother's hair. "That was the plan, but something huge came up in Europe, so we decided to hang out here while it went down."

"What's happening?" The boy asked.

One of the largest grins he'd even seen grace the American's face. "The Soviet Union's falling apart from the inside. We've won, Harry, we've won!"

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~

Timeline:

~August 19th – Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev is put under house arrest while vacationing in the Crimea during a coup. The attempted coup, led by Vice President Gennady Yanayev and 7 hard-liners, collapses in less than 72 hours. This is the most popular date to be said when the Soviet Empire fell.

~August 20th – Estonia declares its independence from the Soviet Union, and more than 100,000 people rally outside the Soviet Union's parliament building protesting the coup that deposed President Mikhail Gorbachev.

AN: Alright, this story might go one for a chapter or two more than expected. I had originally planned on just getting everything up through sorting in this chapter, but then this matter came up, and of course Harry just had to make a comment on the whole thing. Just as fyi, this was when the Soviet Union first started collapsing as countries started declaring their independence – Estonia was the first to do so, and most of the others quickly followed over the following days and weeks. The USSR officially dissolved at the beginning of December, so look forward to that coming into play in a future chapter.

(As for house elves... I plan on changing a few small things just for my own peace of mind. It's nothing hugely plot-changing, but it means less of an inconvenience down the road. Just a warning now in case people wonder when I first started thinking about it.)

Also, I just realized I'm going to need help from any British readers of mine in terms of slang and such, since as an American I'm clueless with most of it. I mean, I know a few things like 'rubber' or 'knocked up' or 'chips' and their differences but I don't want to make the characters sound weird by using American slang accidentally. So if you could drop a review when I mess up it would be greatly appreciated.


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